What’s in the Case? Experient Creates a Buzz at ASAE’s Annual Meeting

Post authored by Marian Calvin, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Experient

Marian Calvin, Vice President of Marketing and Communications

ASAE’s 2012 Annual Meeting and Exposition in Dallas was a fantastic combination of education, networking and entertainment for association professionals and proved that things really are bigger in Texas. The conference definitely exceeded expectations and I enjoyed meeting up with many of my association friends and industry colleagues. But as awesome as the whole experience was, one thing definitely stood out. The star of this year’s event wasn’t a celebrity performer, a keynote speaker, or an association executive like you might expect. In fact, it wasn’t even a person. That’s right—Experient’s orange briefcases were by far the talk of the show.

Prior to this year’s annual meeting, we announced that Experient would be giving away several prizes at ASAE Annual that were contained within small orange briefcases. Those who came to our booth and guessed what was inside or posted their best guess on our Twitter and Facebook pages were automatically entered into a drawing to win the mystery contents.

Just to stir the pot a little and see how much commotion we could create during ASAE Annual, several members of the Experient team walked around the show floor carrying the bright orange cases. Needless to say, this quickly piqued the curiosity of nearly everyone in attendance, and the Experient staff were stopped frequently and asked what was up with the strange briefcases. Passers-by couldn’t help but notice that we strategically placed a display rack in our booth where all of the cases were hung, and they came over in droves to inquire about the odd briefcases and enter our contest.

After it was all said and done, we collected several hundred guesses, ranging from gift cards and airline tickets to a new car and Olympic gold medals. But regardless of whether the guesses were serious or silly, everyone who participated loved the idea and was entered into our drawing.

Mila Fuller, Deputy Executive Director, National Council of Teachers of English

$50 Starbucks Card (from our social media contest)

Kate Doyle, Association Operations Manager, National Council of State Boards of Nursing

Congratulations to all of our winners. We hope you enjoy your marvelous prizes.

For those who didn’t enter our contest, this could have been you! The next time you see something at a conference that looks a little odd, don’t be afraid to find out what’s going on. You may be rewarded for your curiosity.

So thanks to a few orange briefcases, we were able to meet a lot of interesting people and make many new connections that otherwise might not have been possible. If you’re still on the fence about stepping out of your comfort zone and don’t think that trying something new at an event can lead to positive results, I rest my case. (pun intented)